All the Things We've Never Said - Chapter One

So, a few weeks ago, David Cotey that I've written a novel set right here in Greenfield. Well, it's true. I actually finished it a few years ago and it's been gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since. David and I talked about the possibility of "publishing" right here on my Greenfield Patch blog. We're both all for it, so I'm going to begin by posting chapter one of All the Things We've Never Said. I hope you all enjoy reading!

*************************************

A U-Haul truck with Ohio plates pulled up in front of the Colonial Manor apartments on a Wednesday afternoon. Inside were the Marcus family possessions and what was left of the Marcus family. The truck was a slightly rusted Ford, which had swayed within the lane boundaries whenever its tires rolled over a bump or crack in the road.

Behind the wheel, Daniel Marcus turned off the engine and sighed. “Ready to unload?” he asked his daughter, Daisy. “Again,” he added, with a smile and a wink.

The young woman nodded in answer.

“Okay, hang tight. I’ll go in and let the super know we’re here.”

It hadn’t been a long drive for Daniel and Daisy this time, only from Ohio to Wisconsin. They’d sent the appliances and big furniture ahead a few days back, packed the truck that morning and headed out. All of this moving and packing and shipping was old hat for Daisy, who, at 23, had been traveling with her father from job to job for her entire life. They’d been through thirty-six states, five different used cars, fifteen credit cards and countless “temporary survival jobs.” At least that’s what Daisy called them.

Daniel worked in construction; brick laying, reconstruction, anything along those lines, which paid pretty well, but was as inconsistent as the average number of days with wind chill levels below zero in a Wisconsin winter. This most recent move had been timed fairly well. Winter was fading away, and spring was fighting a sometimes-losing battle for the right to bloom. All that meant was that there’d be no ice, no snow to battle with, but there would be mud.

“Hey,” Daniel tapped on the window. “We’re set, let’s get cracking.” He paused, looking up at the sky. “I’d like to finish by the time it gets dark.”

Unloading the U-Haul turned out to be easier than expected. The new apartment was near the main entrance of the complex and everything was indoors in a matter of hours. And afterwards, while Daniel went for food, Daisy began sorting out the cargo. She shoved the boxes into their appropriate rooms and off to the side. They had four days ahead of them before Daniel was supposed to report to work, more than enough time to settle in and unpack.

It always amazed Daisy how different each apartment and motel room was, no matter how many she stayed in. This one had two bedrooms separated by a bathroom, an average sized kitchen and a large open space to be designated the “living room” or “family room” or “sitting room,” depending on who was occupying the apartment at the time.

It was an early night in the new Marcus family home; tired conversation over a bucket of extra tasty crispy chicken and a box of warm buttermilk biscuits from a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken. The flop of mattresses laid flat on the floor that would serve as beds for one night. Weary “g’night’s” mumbled from father to daughter and daughter to father. Lights out.

The four days before Daniel started a temp-to-long term job reconstructing a church in downtown Milwaukee passed quickly. He and Daisy spent some time driving around their new city, finding the grocery stores and restaurants, video stores and places to shop. Daisy picked up some employment applications - only at places within walking distance and only those looking for part-time help.

On a trip to the library - conveniently located within blocks of the apartment - Daisy spotted an ad looking for a shelver in the library. The pay wasn’t much, but Daisy wasn’t too concerned about that. She’d gotten jobs in just about every city that they’d lived in. Nothing much, nothing glamorous. Just something that earned her money to add to the coffee can she was using as a savings account.

Money had always been tight in the Marcus family and Daniel grudgingly supported Daisy’s working - as long as she kept it to part-time only. He’d just as soon let her stay home all day if she would. He’d grown up an only child whose mother had stayed home and catered to every need that he or his father might have had. That upbringing, along with so many other things, had sparked a lot of fights between Daniel and his wife, Marie. Before they got married, she had agreed that she would stay home while Daniel worked. But Marie started to get bored with staying home and, soon enough, they needed two incomes in order to make the ends meet. Not that they always did meet.

Five years ago, Marie had called it quits. She just couldn’t take it anymore, she’d said. She’d grown tired of traveling and tired of taking puny jobs cleaning the houses of local well-to-do’s in order to be able to stay in a hotel for a week without having to sneak out at the crack of dawn because they couldn’t pay the bill. But, towards the end, it wasn’t like that. Daniel had just come off four very good jobs, Marie had been saving and the Marcus family was finally coming in to their own.

Truth be told, Daisy was tired of traveling, too. She’d been saving her money from every job and keeping an eye open for something long term in every city they stopped in. Then, when Daniel decided it was time to move on, she’d finally be able to tell him that she was staying in Louisiana, or Oregon or Wisconsin.

So, when Daniel went to work on Monday morning, Daisy got up and stepped into a pair of jeans, pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and zipped up a red fleece vest. The walk to the library was brisk and refreshing and, as she walked in, she checked to see if the ad was still posted; it was. Daisy walked around the library a bit and then got in line at the circulation desk with two hard cover books. When the clerk summoned the next patron, Daisy smiled and approached the desk, ready to recite the shpiel she'd been forming in her head.

“Hello,” she said, setting the books down on the countertop. “I noticed the ad for a part-time shelver, and I was wondering who I would talk to about applying for the job.”

Daisy was directed to the reference desk where a librarian with salt-and-pepper grey hair was typing furiously with a determined look on her face. The reference librarian had a friendly face, an eager smile and a firm handshake.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” Daisy replied, pulling her hand out of the reference librarian's grip and curling her fingers around the spine of the books she was carrying. “The clerk at circulation told me you were the person to talk to about the shelving position.”

“That’s me,” the woman said, again flashing her easy smile. “Please, have a seat. My name is Madeline Walters.” She gestured to a maroon chair alongside her desk. Daisy sat down.

“The job is pretty basic. Twenty-five hours a week, seven fifty an hour, no benefits, unfortunately. Your duties would include emptying the book return, checking in materials and re-shelving.” Madeline added.

“What are the hours?” Daisy asked.

“Tuesday through Saturday, eight to one," Madeline replied.

Daisy nodded.

“So, what do you think?” Madeline asked, her head tipped in a questioning gesture.

“It sounds great to me,” Daisy said. “Can I let you know for certain tomorrow morning?”

“Sleep on it,” Madeline said. "I'll be waiting for your call."